Today we're returning to a beautiful section of Welsh woodland to take a slightly different walk - we found ourselves back within the borders of Coedydd Maentwrog and needed another walk to tack on, we had previously tackled a little adventure around Llyn Mair and up to the Ffestiniog Railway here, but there are so many alternative routes that we took to simply following our feet to find something new. Today's walk is a bit shorter than our previous adventure, taking in the two major lakes in the area before looping back to the car park to round out an already full day, but this area is such a beautiful place to explore I felt motivated to break this one down too - the second lake is equally as wonderful as the first! So if you've already had an adventure around these parts but never found the second lake, this might just be the walk for you. Alternatively, combine the walks we've already detailed (and there will be more in the future here) into a bigger walk around some of the most picturesque ponds and lakes you could find...
Coedydd Maentwrog is quite a sizable little stretch of woodland, but our focus is around Llyn Mair which thankfully has a little car park you are free to take advantage of. The car park is tucked away on a quiet road off of the A487, turning off at the Oakley Arms along a B-road and keeping out for an opening on your right. The car park is genuinely small, with only a handful of cars fitting on it with one or two vehicles able to stop on the layby outside the entrance, so please park considering others around you, on our visit a BMW (no surprises there) had parked pretty badly opposite the entrance, no problem for me but some of the vans inside were almost certainly stuck until he came back. Public transport directly to here is quite limited but there is a bus stop at the Oakley Arms, so a short walk up the lane will get you to the start.
We start our walk out from the car park by crossing the road and heading into the woods towards Llyn Mair, this loop will be starting out following the same path around Llyn Mair as our previous walk, because why not? It is a beautiful lake and a fun walk, along a mix of narrow and wide undulating paths, along the waterlilies and with great views all around Llyn Mair. By the top of the lake, we are going to deviate away from the previous route and cut back through the trees, initially along the access road following a route up and down in some idyllic woodlands. Taking in part of the circular walk here, I mostly had this route mapped out using OS maps, but you can use the path marked above in order to follow the walk without getting lost!
Eventually, you will be greeted by a section of the narrow gauge railway that runs through Coedydd Maentwrog, where you will need to take caution as you dash across the level crossing - luckily, this area is only serviced by beautiful steam trains, so you'll have no problem hearing them coming. The final ascent goes by in the blink of an eye and you will find yourself at the foot of the second lake - Llyn Hafod-y-Llyn is smaller than its neighbour, but is no less beautiful. The lake is flanked by towering trees, which look stunning in the sun and I would love to return in the autumn because I bet this place would be simply incredible. On our visit, a handful of folks were having a dip in the water, even on a sunny September day I bet this would chill you to the bone and not something I am cut out for, but something you are welcome to enjoy!
We then continued onwards around the lake to take a look around, and you are welcome to do the same, but during the peak of September the trees and undergrowth generally occluded the best views of the lake - you can delve deeper into the amazing woods and hills, which we absolutely will be returning to do in the future, but this was just a short loop so from the lake we made our way back across the train tracks and take a slightly different, more direct walk back to the entrance to the woods via another access road. Before you know if, you've looped back to the start, feel free to make the most of the picnic area at the start near Llyn Mair, it is a stunning spot, otherwise, you've finished this little loop for today!
Something keeps pulling us back to the area of Coedydd Maentwrog, it has an amazing array of gorgeous walks, a lot of which are reasonable in terms of difficulty but have plenty of potential to be extended into major hikes if desired! This walk was the perfect addition to our day, but if you are attempting to make a full day of it then, naturally, you could combine it with our other walk above or continue onwards to some other great attractions in the area. Fancy a little climb to some great views? Moel y Gest overlooking Porthmadog has you covered, perfect if you are looking to hop on the steam train too. There is also the nearby gorge walk at Ffestiniog or you could take a nice walk up a retired slate mine at Cwmorthin (plus the incredible Stwlan Dam there too). Fancy something more peaceful? How about a walk around the gardens at Plas Brondanw, or see if you can't spot some of the birds at the Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Osprey Project. You're in a great spot to do some adventuring here, so you would be hard-pressed to find a better jump off point for a great day out!
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